Thirteen Articles of Faith

Thirteen Articles of Faith, also called Thirteen Principles, a summary of the basic tenets of Judaism as perceived by the 12th-century Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides. They first appeared in his commentary on the Mishna, Kitāb al-Sirāj, as an elaboration on the section Sanhedrin 10, which sets forth the reasons why a Jew would be denied resurrection. Maimonides’ formulation was an attempt to put forth true concepts of God and faith as a tool in avoiding error. His statement, although presented by him as a form of dogma, was a personal concept and has been much debated and revised. The numerous versions of the Articles of Faith include the hymnYigdal, written about 1300 and adopted into most prayer services.

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March 30, 1135 Córdoba [Spain] December 13, 1204 Egypt Jewish philosopher, jurist, and physician, the foremost intellectual figure of medieval Judaism. His first major work, begun at age 23 and completed 10 years later, was a commentary on the Mishna, the collected Jewish oral laws. A...

...most striking feature is a series of introductory essays dealing with general philosophic issues touched on in the Mishna. One of these essays summarizes the teachings of Judaism in a creed of Thirteen Articles of Faith.

...case being that of the 17th-century pseudo-messiah Shabbetai Tzevi. Belief in and fervent expectation of the messiah became firmly established tenets of Judaism and are included among Maimonides’ 13 Articles of Faith. Modernist movements in Judaism have attempted to maintain the traditional faith in an ultimately redeemed world and a messianic future without insisting on a personal messiah...